Material dispenser having attachable valve control cap



Oct. 18, 1966 v R w, COLLAR 3,279,660

MATERIAL DISPENSER HAVING ATTACHABLE VALVE CONTROL CAP Filed Oct. 8, 1964 [Kb/1M4 Mao/14 5 INVEN TOR. WHANN 8 McMAN/CML I Af/ornoys fbr A I/kanf $1 I United States Patent 3 279 660 MATERIAL DISPENSER irAvING ATTACHABLE VALVE CONTROL CAP Rolland W. Collar, 8913 Helen Ave.,

Sun Valley, Calif.

Filed Oct. 8, 1964, Ser. No. 402,460 1 Claim. (Cl. 222-397 The present invention relates generally to dispensing devices for flowable materials, and is more particularly concerned with improvements in dispensers of the character commonly referred to as syringe or needle type such as utilized for potting or similar operations.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a small hand dispenser for flowable materials which is of simple construction, can be fabricated entirely from plastic, which is light in weight and easily manipulated, and yet incorporates a unique valving control mechanism by means of which a pressurized fluid can be utilized and controlled with such nicety as to permit the deposit of very small amounts of dispensed material when desired.

The foregoing feature is extremely important in certain potting operations, particularly where a rather heavy epoxy might be utilized. With conventional manually operable plungers in the dispenser, it was most difficult to terminate the feed in view of built up pressures within the device. There was no way to dump this built up pressure, and as a consequence there was a considerable waste of the material. Having such inherent disadvantages of operation in mind, it is an important concept of the present invention to provide a control arrangement wherein the application of fluid actuating pressure may be modulated with respect to an atmospheric vent in such a manner that an exteremly fine control of pressure is obtainable, and wherein the pressurized fluid will be disconnected with respect to the dispensed material and dumped or vented to atmosphere immediately upon closing of the valve at the cessation of a dispensing operation.

Another object of the herein described invention is to provide a unique control attachment, which may be fabricated as an article of manufacture, and which may be selectively attached to standardized containers for dispensable materials for controlling the dispensing operation by means of a pressurized fluid.

Still another object is to provide a device of the character described in which opening of the valve may be accomplished without opposition by an opposing pressure, and wherein the valve will automatically open when applied fluid pressure exceeds -a predetermined value, so as to prevent overloading.

Yet another object is to provide a valving arrangementwherein the dispensing :tluid pressure is determined and regulated by throttling movement of the valve between fluid supply and venting connections.

Further objects of the invention Will be brought out in the following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the'purpose of fully disclosing the invention without placing limitations thereon.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which are for illustrative purposes only:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dispensing device embodying the features of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary axial sectional view showing details of the attachable valve control cap of the device.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, for illustrative purposes, the complete dispensing device is disclosed in FIG. 1 as embodying an attachable valve control cap A having releasable connection with a container B for the dispensable material. The connected parts are fabricated entirely from suitable material, and in the present instance a plastic commercially obtainable and known as Delrin has been utilized.

More specifically, the container B for the dispensable material comprises a tubular body 10 which is contracted at its dispensing end and provided with an end wall 11 which connects with a tubular discharge nozzle or needle 12.

At its other charging end, the tubular body is provided with integral oppositely extending radial arms or projections 13 and .14 which form a .part of the releasable attaching means for the valve cap A, as well as to cooperatively provide coplanar abutment end surfaces 13a and 14a.

The containers B may respectively be charged with the dispensable material, and the attachable valve cap A utilized as a common control unit which may be selectively attached to the diflierent containers B, or a single container B may be utilized with the control cap A, the container being repeatedly charged with the dispensable material as needed. In any event, the valve cap A may be combined with the container B as a complete dispensing device, and at the same time the valve cap A is susceptible of use as a separate attachment which may be fabricated and sold as a separate article of manufacture.

The valve cap A comprises a generally cylindrical body structure which is composed of two sections 15a and 1512 which are separately fabricated and later assembled into a unitary structure with adjacent ends 16 and 17 in telescoped circumferentially overlapped relation, in which position the ends are secured as by bonding or otherwise endwise separation. As will subsequently appear, this arrangement permits the valving parts to be easily assembled within the valve cap and thus operatively secured and retained in an operative position in a simple but efifective manner.

- As more specifically shown in FIG. 2, the end of the valve cap A, which is to be associated with the container B, is constructed with a cylindrical end portion 18 which is insert-able into the open bore end of the container B, a circumferentially extending sealing ring 19 mounted in a circumferential groove serving to seal the connection between the valve cap and the container.

Inwardly spaced of this end, the section 15a is provided with oppositely extending radial arms 20 and 21 which may be reenforced by associated ribs 22 and 23 in each case. These arms provide coplanar abutment surfaces 20a and 21a which are engage-able with the abutment surfaces 13a and 14a respectively to limit the extent of insertion of the cylindrical end portion -18 into the open bore end of the container B. When connecting the valve cap A with the container B, the radial arms of the valve cap are angularly displaced with reference to the radial projections of the container B to permit fully seated engagement of the two parts. The two parts are then relatively rotated to bring the arms and projections into registration, and this movement will operate to engage the endmost portions of the container projecting under hooked end portions 20b and 21b respectively so as to releasably retain the parts in interconnected relation.

The end 16 of body section 15a is counterbored to provide a cylindrical chamber 25 in the bottom of which there is a reduced bore extension 26 which forms an annular valve .seat 27 through which communication is established between the chamber 25 and an exhaust vent passageway 28 connecting with atmosphere. A second passageway 29 provides an outlet connection between the chamber 25 and a recessed end face 30 in the cylindrical end portion 1 8.

The body section 15b is constructed with an axially extending bore 31 which communicates with a counterbore in the end 17 to form a radial wall 32 to provide an annular valve seat 33 through which communication is established between the chamber 25 and a tubular hose connector 34 for connection with a suitable pressurized fluid source.

Housed and reciprocably movable within the chamber 25 is a poppet valve 35 which is formed with a bevelled end 36 for valving cooperation with the valve seat 27, and at its opposite end with a bevelled end 37 for valving cooperation with the valve seat 33. Adjacent this end, the valve is formed with a circumferentially extending flange 38 which serves to reciprocably guide the valve within the chamber 25. A compression spring 39 positioned in the chamber 25 with one end bearing against the flange 38 and its other, end bearing against the bottom of the chamber 25 adjacent the seat 27 normally urges the valve to a position in which the bevelled end 37 is in closed relation with respect to the valve seat 33, and the bevelled end 36 is in opened relation with respect to the valve seat 27. In this position of the valve, communication is cut Off with respect to the pressurized fluid supply through the connector 34, while communication is established between the interior at the charging end of container B through passage 29, chamber 25 and exhaust vent passage 28 to atmosphere, thus relieving any residual pressure which might be remaining in the container B after shut-ting off the pressurized fluid supply.

ItWill be appreciated that by making the spring 39 of proper resistive force, the valve 35 can be aranged to automatically open at a desired pressurized fluid pressure and thus prevent overloading. For example, the spring can be so graduated as to open at a 60 psi. pressure.

Opening of the valve, however, is normally accomplished manually by means of a reciprocably mounted valve stem 40, this valve stem being guidingly supported by spaced circumferentially extending flanges 41 and 42 which thus term a groove in which there is mounted a sealing ring 43. An end extension of the valve stem, as indicated at 40a, projects through an end opening 44 and has mounted thereon a button 45. The innermost end of the valve stem 40 bears against the adjacent end of the poppet valve 35.

With the arrangement described above, the valve 35 normally closes against the valve'seat33 and in this position allows venting of the charging end of the container B to atmosphere. Upon depressing the button 45, the valve 35 unseats and admits pressurized fluid to the chamber 25. As the valve 35 is unseated with respect to the pressurized fluid flow, the valve tends to close with respect to flow through the exhaust ven-t passage 28. Thus a regulatory throttling efiect is obtained and full fluid pressure is not applied for dispensing the epoxy material until the valve seats with respect to valve seat 27. A very precise control is thus provided which permits dispensing of very small amounts of the dispensable material and by immediately venting the container to atmosphere the pressurized fluid acting on the dispensable material maybe immediately dumped and thus prevent waste.

From the foregoing description, it is believed clearly apparent that the device of this invention is of simple construction and embodies the features for carrying out the stated objects.

Various modifications may suggest themselves to those.

ing and not for emphasis.

I claim:

A syringe type device for dispensing a material, comprising:

(-a) a tubular container. for a flowable material, said container having a dispensing end passage formed as a needle, and a charging end;

(b) opposed radial projections at said charging end extending beyond the container periphery;

(c) a body structure having radially outwardly extending arms releasably connectable with said projections by a relative turning movement, said body structure having an elongate interior chamber;

(d) elongate plug means at one end-of said body structure for endwise entry into the charging end of said container, said plug means including a periph: eral seal for engaging an inner wall surface of said container;

(e) a fluid outlet passage in said plug ,means, con-' necting said chamber with the interior of said COD. tainer at its charging end; (f) an exhaust vent passage including a valve sea-t at one end of said chamber normally venting said outlet passage to atmosphere;

(g) a fluid inlet passage including a valve seat at the other end of said chamber adapted for connection with a source of pressurized fluid;

(h) valving means in said chamber including a reciprocably mounted valve member cooperably associated with said valve seats, said ,valve member being normally urged to an unseated position with respect to the valve seat of the vent passage, and a seated position with respect to the valve seat of the inlet passage; and

(i) manually operable means at the opposite end .of said body from said plug means for selectively actuating said valving means so as to move .said valve member in a closing direction at one of said valve seats while moving it in an opening direction at the other valve seat, whereby flow of fluid under pressure into the charging end of said container and the discharge of material from the dispensing end of the container may be precisely controlled.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 375,547 12/1887 Gibbs ..,28537 6 X 2,615,598 '10/ 1952 Watkins 222397 2,682,386 6/1954- Lindsay 137625.27

ROBERT .B. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

LOUIS J. DEMBO, EVON C. BLUNK, Examiners.

N- L, $TA s s q t Examiner- 

